Sharp Dressed Man
by FallenAngel218
Summary: A late night date turns terribly wrong for Face, and he turns to Hannibal for help. Will they find out who has it out for the Lieutenant? Episode tag to "Hot Styles."
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Face checked his reflection as he straightened his tie. He'd been looking forward to this date with Rhonda all day, and he wanted to look his very best. He had made reservations at LaRue, and he'd been guaranteed by the owner that a bottle of champagne would be waiting for them, on ice.

He met Rhonda about a month ago, and the relationship was going very well. He could even say that he was beginning to really fall for her. He hadn't fallen for a woman so hard since Leslie Becktall. Maybe it was finally time that he settle down. Maybe Rhonda was it.

"We're on the run, Lieutenant, we're all each other has right now."

Hannibal's words continued to echo in his mind, long after Rena had left. He wished he could just run away and settle somewhere else, to just live his life again. Maybe Rhonda would be the woman to help him make such a decision.

Satisfied that his hair and tie were perfect, he put on his suit jacket and left his condo. He whistled as he rode the elevator down to the parking garage, and hummed as he jumped into the 'Vette and sped off toward Rhonda's apartment to pick her up.

Face arrived at Rhonda's brownstone apartment building ten minutes ahead of schedule. He got out and went up to the main door. He rang her bell, and she rang him up without a word into the speaker. He pulled open the door and headed up to her floor. As he raised his hand to knock, he heard the click of her lock, and she opened the door. She was dressed in a beautiful, shimmering navy blue dress, low cut.

"You look simply gorgeous, Rhonda. Are you ready to go?"

"Almost, Templeton. Could you come in and help me with my necklace?"

He smiled and followed her inside. Before Face knew what was happening, the door was slammed closed behind him, and he was slammed up against it by a large man, and held there by his neck.

"What the hell is going on!" he managed to squeak out as the man's large hand constricted his throat.

"I'm so sorry, Templeton. I didn't want to do it..." Rhonda started. She fell silent as two other men came out of the kitchen and stopped on either side of her. Face immediately recognized one of the men.

"You... you work for Johnny Turion."

"Worked," the man corrected. "Johnny is dead, no thanks to you and your friends."

"We saved a famous designer from being ruined. I'd say we did a bang-up job."

The man pulled a gun and pointed it at Face.

"You signed Johnny's death warrant. And you're going to pay."

"Please don't hurt him!" Rhonda shrieked as the second man held her back by her arms. "You promised me you wouldn't hurt him!"

Face used Rhonda's screaming as a distraction, and kicked the man holding him in between his legs. The big man dropped him, and Face whipped a gun out from the back of his jeans.

"Let her go."

The man holding Rhonda let her go, and Face grabbed her by the hand and pulled her to him. Turion's flunkie took a shot at Face, and got him in the arm. Face screamed in pain, but pulled Rhonda toward the door. He pulled it open with his good arm, and pulled her into the hallway.

Face and Rhonda ran down the stairs and outside. He pushed her into the Corvette, jumped in and drove off.

"Where are we going?"

"I have a friend that can help us. I can't take these guys on my own."

"You need a hospital! He shot you in the arm!"

"Oh, this? This is nothing. My friend can help. Can you trust me?"

Rhonda nodded as Face turned right and headed toward the location of Hannibal's latest film set. As he made his right, he noticed a black sedan turn right behind him. Suspecting he was being followed by Turion's ex-henchman, he made a series of left turns. Sure enough, the car followed him.

"Buckle your seat belt."

Rhonda did so as Face hit the gas and sped off to the right, in an attempt to lose the tail. He got back onto the main road and made a series of turns, deliberately weaving in and out of traffic. After twenty minutes of cat and mouse, Face finally lost the tail, and resumed his journey to Hannibal.

Hannibal was sitting at the table in his trailer, smoking a cigar. It was near 10 p.m., and he was exhausted. All he wanted to do was smoke a cigar and crawl into bed. Tomorrow was an early call, and he needed to be rested.

As he puffed contentedly on his cigar, he heard the screech of tires outside, and voices, one of which sounded familiar. He stood up just as someone started pounding on his door. He quickly went and opened it. There stood Face, leaning on the shoulders of a woman, bleeding from the shoulder.

"Face, what happened?"

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

Hannibal reached out and helped Face up into the trailer. Rhonda was on his other side. He lead his injured comrade into the tiny bedroom and helped him lie down on the bed. He retrieved a small bag from his makeshift night stand, and sat down next to Face on the bed. He looked up at Rhonda.

"You may want to wait over there, Miss-"

"Rhonda."

"Okay, Rhonda. You might not want to look."

Rhonda nodded and made her way back into the living area. Hannibal turned back to Face.

"What the hell happened?" he asked sharply as he began the task of extracting the bullet from Face's arm.

"When I got to Rhonda's place to pick her up, there were men-ahh- in her apartment. One of them used to work for Johnny Turion."

"Used to?"

Face hissed in pain, obviously trying not to shout. They didn't want to attract unwanted attention from outside.

"Turion is dead. His flunkie wants revenge. He used my-" Face stopped talking as excruciating pain ripped through his arm. Hannibal brought the bullet out with a pair of tweezers, and dropped it into the ash tray on his night table.

"He used my girlfriend as bait."

"Are you sure Rhonda isn't in on the whole thing?" Hannibal whispered.

"No... she was terrified. I could see it in her eyes."

Hannibal opened up the first aid kit and took out some gauze and bandages. He sanitized the wound with alcohol, and pressed gauze onto the wound and started to wrap it tightly with medical tape.

"Okay, I believe you. How did this guy know how to find you?"

"That's what I want to find out."

Hannibal took out some Ace bandage next, and wrapped him up.

"It'll be just the two of us, with Murdock on lockdown at the VA, and B.A. away visiting his Mother." He secured the bandage. "You should be fine now. We'll redress it later and check on the wound."

"Thanks, Hannibal." Face's eyes drifted toward the closed door. "What about Rhonda?"

"She stays with us. If you're wrong and she is involved, I don't want her to run back and tell this guy where to find you."

Face nodded.

"Where do we start?"

"We start by asking your girlfriend how she met this guy."

Face got up off the bed and went out ahead of Hannibal. Rhonda was sitting at the table, tears streaming down her face. He sat down next to her and put his good arm around her.

"It's going to be all right, Rhonda. I'm going to be just fine. I can't say the same for my Armani suit jacket."

She smiled and wiped her eyes.

"I just can't believe all of this is happening. I mean, one minute I'm doing my makeup, the next, there are men breaking in my door."

"You've never met those men before?"

"No, never."

"Did anyone happen to say a name?"

"No. I did hear the buzzer downstairs a few minutes before they broke in."

Hannibal sat down in the chair across from them.

"Someone in your building let them in."

"They probably pressed a random button to be let in. People do it all the time when they forget their key, so no one thinks twice about it."

"The question really is, how did they know to go to Rhonda's apartment tonight?" Face asked. Seconds later, the answer dawned on him. "They must have been following me."

"You never noticed a tail on you?"

"Maybe they didn't have to tail me. Oh my God."

"What, Templeton?" Rhonda asked.

"That means they've bugged me. Or my car."

Hannibal rose from his seat.

"They're probably waiting outside, or hiding out near your car. Where did you park?"

"Next to the Director's car. There's a street light above his parking spot." He looked at Hannibal. "Hannibal, I'm sorry. I can't believe I never caught on to this."

"It's not your fault, Face. You wouldn't have had reason to suspect a bug."

"Well, how do we get out of here?"

"They followed your car here, not mine."

"Yours? Are you still driving that old Buick Century?"

Hannibal grinned.

"Yep, and I'm parked in the lot on the other side of the building. They'll never know we left."

"Unless they're staking out your trailer."

"In that case," Hannibal turned and opened up his trunk. From it he took two rifles. He handed one over to Face, who took it quickly. Rhonda looked at him speculatively.

"Is there something you haven't told me about yourself, Templeton?"

"There's a lot, but I'll explain later, I promise."

"Okay."

Face stood up and held out his hand for hers. She took it and stood with him.

"Let's get out of here."

Hannibal went up to the door of his trailer, gun at the ready. He slowly opened it a crack and peeked out. No one was obviously visible in his line of sight. He opened the door a bit more, and peeked his head out. No one tried to take a shot at him. He pushed the door open all the way, and stepped outside. All remained quiet. He turned and nodded to Face.

"Ready?" he asked Rhonda. She nodded, and clasped his hand tightly. He led them quietly out of the trailer, and closed the door behind them. Hannibal signaled for them to follow him, and they quietly made their way toward the parking lot that the film crew was using to park their equipment trucks. Hannibal often parked there to avoid being seen leaving the set.

The old Buick was situated behind a large tractor trailer. Hannibal quietly opened up the doors, and Rhonda got into the back seat. Hannibal went to his trunk and took a couple of extra clips for the guns, and softly closed the trunk. He climbed into the driver's seat and started the car. As he eased up to the parking lot exit, a car came tearing around the street corner. Someone came out through the window, gun pointed at Hannibal's car.

"Rhonda, get down!" Face shouted as shots rained down on the Buick. Rhonda dove to the floor as Face rolled down his window and fired a few shots as Hannibal pealed out of the lot. The car kept behind them, and Face kept firing.

Hannibal swung around the corner and sped off as fast as the old Buick could go. He darted around some corners, until he finally lost the tail. Face pulled himself back into the car and put the gun on safety.

"Rhonda, are you all right?" he asked as he set down the gun near his feet. When she didn't respond, he turned around. "Rhonda?" His eyes traveled downward to the floor of the car, where he saw Rhonda, lying still, covered in blood. "No!"

Hannibal immediately made a U-turn and sped off toward the hospital as Face climbed into the backseat. He reached out and gently took Rhonda's pulse. To his relief, she was still alive, but barely.

"We have to get her to the hospital," Face said in a shaky voice.

"We're almost there, Face. She isn't going to die."

Face nodded at the pair of eyes reflecting in the rear view mirror.

"What are we going to tell them when we get there?"

"We were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. We were waiting at a stop light, and someone ran by with a gun and shot her."

"That's never going to work."

"It _will_ work, and you're going to pull yourself together, or we're going to be leaving that hospital in handcuffs."

Face nodded and looked down at his girlfriend. He'd never let a woman he'd been seeing get into the line of fire, for this very reason. If anyone was going to die doing what they did, it'd be him before he'd let an innocent person get killed.

The car screeched to a stop in front of the hospital, and Hannibal quickly shoved the guns under the seat and out of sight. Face stumbled out of the car and ran toward the ER doors. Two paramedics on a smoke break near the ambulance bay saw him running, and cut him off before he burst into the ER.

"What happened?" One of them asked as the other held Face by his shoulders.

"My-my girlfriend - she's been shot. We were waiting at a traffic light, and this man just pointed a gun and- I don't want to picture it anymore."

"Okay, where is she?"

"In the backseat. Please, hurry!"

The paramedics rushed to the car, followed by a frantic Face. Before he'd even caught up with them, one of them was running for a gurney. Within minutes they had her strapped in and rushed her into the hospital.

"I'm going with her, Hannibal."

"You can't go in there," Hannibal said, grabbing Face's arm. "The last thing we need is for you to get yourself arrested."

"They think I'm a frantic boyfriend. If I get into this car and take off with you, they'll know we pulled a fast one. I have to stay."

Hannibal looked into his Lieutenant's eyes. He was right.

"Okay. Go. I'll pull the car around the corner and wipe our prints, then bring it back. The cops will want to go over it for evidence. Too bad they won't find any," Hannibal said at a low whisper.

"All right. I'll meet you in the lobby."

Hannibal nodded and pulled away, and Face was alone outside the ER, covered in his girlfriend's blood. Face turned and trudged into the hospital.

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

Face didn't have any trouble convincing the hospital staff of his story. He was lead to a surgical waiting area, while Rhonda was in surgery. There was no one else in the small waiting room, and Face was relieved. He sank into a chair and closed his eyes, hoping all of this was just a crazy dream, and that he'd wake up soon.

A click made Face's eyes snap open. He'd been sleeping for a half hour, and hadn't heard anyone else come into the room. The gun now pointed at his head was an obvious reminder that he'd let his guard down.

"Don't move or I'll splatter your brain all over this room."

"No you won't. If you pull that trigger, this room will be filled with people inside of ten seconds."

The gunman was quiet for a moment. Face spoke up before the gunman had a chance to.

"If we're going to do this, can we do it outside? I'd rather you kill me without attracting unwanted attention."

"Get up."

Face obliged, and he was flanked on either side and led out of the room. The gunman walked close behind Face, as not to alert the hospital staff that he had a gun in Face's back. The four men walked through the ER waiting room and back outside. There was a car waiting outside. Face was shoved into the back seat, followed by the gunman. The two "assistants" got into the front, and the car sped off.

The first thing that Hannibal noticed when he walked into the ER was that Face wasn't in the waiting room. He went up to the desk and smiled at the nurse.

"A friend of mine came in here not too long ago. His girlfriend was shot. I don't see him here in the waiting room."

The nurse suddenly had a distressed look on her face.

"Is something wrong, Ma'am?"

"Your friend is gone. I brought him to the OR waiting area, and he came out a half hour later with three other men, and they went out to the ER parking lot."

Hannibal leaned in, as to not alarm anyone else in the waiting area.

"Did you notice if any of the men had weapons?" he whispered.

The nurse gasped.

"You don't think-"

"It's possible."

"I'm calling the police."

She picked up the receiver next to her, and Hannibal put his hand on top of hers.

"What are you doing?"

"Ma'am, this might sound crazy, but please, don't call the police. My friend is going to be fine. Trust me."

The nurse looked into Hannibal's eyes, and after a long silence, she took her hand off the receiver.

"I have one condition. You bring him back here when you find him. For his girlfriend."

"I promise."

The nurse smiled at him, and he smiled back, thanked her and left the ER. He had to find Face before he ended up dead.

After what felt like hours of ominous, silent driving, the car finally stopped. Seconds later, the rear passenger door was yanked open, and someone grabbed Face by the collar and yanked him out of the car. The smell of salt water and fish told him they were somewhere near the docks.

_But which marina are we at?_

"Listen, can't we talk about this, guys?" Face attempted as he was pushed along toward a ramshackle building that looked like it had once been the office for the dock manager.

"There's nothing you can do to save yourself, Pretty Boy."

Face took the opportunity to take a swing at one of his captors, and clipped him on the chin. The man stumbled backward, and Face went for the next guy. Before he could get a swing in, the man punched him in the gut. Face dropped to his knees, holding his stomach. Two sets of hands hauled him to his feet, and dragged him into the old office building. The same hands shoved him down to his knees on the dirty floor of the old shack.

The door to the next room opened, and a man came out that Face immediately recognized.

"It's nice to finally meet the man behind the designs Johnny sent me."

Face's bravado started to seep out of him instantly.

_I'm not getting out of here alive._

Hannibal ran three blocks, to where he'd hidden the Buick. He had to figure out who these guys were, and where they took Face. He tumbled into the car and shakily put the keys into the ignition. Seconds later, he turned it off again and fell back into the seat as reality washed over him.

He had no idea where Face was, or who took him, and no viable leads to follow.

Hannibal suddenly thought of B.A. The Sergeant was always there to keep him from giving up, even when the plans he thought of went south.

There has to be something that'll help me find Face. I can't let him die.

Hannibal started the car and drove back to the hospital. He went back to the ER and convinced the nurse at the desk to let him into the OR waiting room. Being four in the morning, the room was empty, save for a man sleeping in the corner. Hannibal made a beeline for the man and shook his shoulder. The man awoke with a start.

"What happened? Is she out?"

"No, son, she isn't."

"Who the hell are you?"

"I need your help. A friend of mine was in here about an hour ago, and some guys joined him, and they left together."

"I was dozing off when they came in," the man recalled. "I heard someone say the name 'Jimmy.' "

"Did you see Jimmy's face?"

"No, I'm sorry."

Hannibal sighed.

"I appreciate your help. Get some rest."

"No problem."

The man resumed his position and dozed off. Hannibal sat down in one of the plush chairs, and scrubbed a hand over his face.

_What am I going to do?_

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

"Mr. Dubrio," Face breathed. The men pulled him to his feet and slammed him down into a chair, and proceeded to tie him to it.

"Leave us alone."

The men nodded and silently left the cabin, closing the door behind them.

"Can't we discuss this in a more civilized manner?" Face attempted weakly.

"You made a fool out of me. Your phony designs cost me nearly two million dollars." Dubrio pointed a gun at Face. "Before I kill you, I want to know why you did it."

Face chuckled nervously, trying to use his trademark smile to ease the tension. It wasn't working.

"Turion had my - a friend of mine - and her son - he was going to kill them."

"Rena... she's a pretty thing, isn't she?"

Face felt a pang of anger and fear in the pit of his stomach.

"Touch Rena and you'll regret it."

"You're funny, kid. I wish I didn't have to kill you."

"You don't... I could be helpful to you... I have an eye for numbers... I could do your books - "

"You must really think I'm stupid, don't you, Mr. Peck?"

"How-how did you-"

"Know your name? I know a lot more about you than that."

"What are you talking about?"

Dubrio leaned forward in his desk chair and picked up a file folder that had been sitting on the desk. He opened it, and Face recognized his military photograph on top.

"Lieutenant Templeton Peck, U.S. Army... you're on the run, from what your military jacket says."

"Everyone needs a scapegoat these days. Why not me?"

Dubrio paused, weapon trained on Face. Suddenly, he lowered it.

"I'm not going to kill you."

Face let out a breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding.

"You're a member of the A-Team... well, it would be fitting that I turn you in, wouldn't it? The military will have their escaped prisoner, and you will be out of my way, permanently. It's the perfect arrangement, don't you think?"

"I'd rather you kill me," Face muttered, trying vainly to pull on his restraints.

Dubrio picked up the phone and dialed a number from the open file in front of him.

"May I speak to a Colonel Roderick Decker, please?"

"Hannibal, why didn't you call me sooner, man?" B.A. said as Hannibal moved over to the passenger seat to let him climb into the van.

"I thought Face and I had this covered."

"You fools messed with the mob. You better hope we find Face alive."

"God, I hope so."

"You got a plan?" B.A. asked as he started the van.

"The only person associated with Johnny Turion who would want Face dead is a Mr. Dubrio. The roll of film with Face's phony designs on it got sent to Dubrio instead of the real ones. Turion wound up dead because of it."

"Face is gonna be next, if we don't find him."

"I found Face's address book and called Rena. She gave me the scoop on Mr. Dubrio. His name is Giovanni Dubrio, and he's dangerous. He's got mafia connections all over the country."

"If we bust out Face, we gonna have nowhere to hide, Hannibal."

"No one is going to die, B.A. We'll get him out." Hannibal looked down at the map unfolded across his lap. "Rena said Mr. Dubrio owns a yacht, and he parks it at Midland Marina."

"We're there."

B.A. pushed down on the gas and headed toward their destination.

Face awoke to the smell of coffee. He almost smiled in contentment, until he opened his eyes and remembered where he was.

What's taking Decker so long? I should be in the stockade by now.

"Good Morning, Lieutenant." Mr. Dubrio was sitting at his desk, a steaming cup of coffee next to him, and a plate in front of him. Face couldn't see it, but he could smell eggs and bacon.

The door opened to Face's right, and one of the goons came in, holding a second cup of coffee. He set it down on the side table next to Face.

"I'm a gracious host, Lieutenant. I thought you might need a cup, so I asked Harold to bring an extra."

Face forced a smile.

"Harold is going to untie one of your arms. If you try to escape, I'll shoot you before you make it out the door. Are we understood?"

Face nodded.

"Good."

Face's left arm was freed in seconds, and he reached gratefully for the coffee.

"Your Colonel Decker should be arriving this morning to take you into custody."

"Great."

"Don't sound so ungrateful, Lieutenant Peck. Your body could be at the bottom of the ocean right now."

Face quietly took a sip of the coffee, which was, incidentally, the best coffee he'd ever tasted. Dubrio definitely had good taste.

A distant siren put Face on alert. He could recognize an MP siren anywhere. He had a sinking feeling that Hannibal wasn't going to find him before Decker got there.

_The only way I'm leaving here is in the back of Decker's car._

Knowing he was defeated, Face sipped his coffee quietly, and waited for Decker.

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

It wasn't long before Decker and his backup had arrived and boarded the yacht. Decker grinned almost evilly as his men untied Face and prepared to handcuff him.

"You and I are going to have a talk, Peck, and you're going to tell me where Smith and Baracus are hiding."

"Listen, Colonel... I truly have no idea where they are at the present moment. Honestly."

"What would make you think I'd believe anything you say?" Decker growled.

"Can I at least make a phone call before you handcuff me?"

"So you can call Smith and warn him?"

"I told you, I don't know where he is! I-I need to call Riverside Hospital. My girlfriend - she was badly injured in an accident, and I-"

"Oh for crying out loud, make your call. You have five minutes, Peck."

Face nodded, and Mr. Dubrio silently turned his desk phone around. Face quickly dialed the hospital's phone number.

"Hi, my name is Al Peck... my girlfriend was brought into the ER early this morning and -yes, Rhonda Billingsley. How is she? Will she be all right?"

Face suddenly felt the urge to sit down as the nurse gave him some news. Decker grabbed the chair he'd been sitting in and brought it underneath Face just as his body gave way.

"When?" Face asked, his voice cracked and full of pain. "O-okay. Thank you."

He hung up the phone and looked up at Decker, who, for once, had a bit of concern written on his face.

"You can arrest me now, Decker. I'm through running."

"What happened, Peck?" He asked, semi-concerned, and semi-hoping he didn't have to carry Peck's sorry butt out to the squad car.

"None of your business, Decker. Are you going to arrest me, or what?"

Decker sighed and took out his handcuffs. Face got to his feet, slowly, and allowed Decker to arrest him. He didn't want to run anymore. His life was what got Rhonda killed, and if he was still a free man, he couldn't live with himself.

When they arrived at the Marina, B.A. hid the van out of sight and they continued inside on foot. It wasn't a big Marina by any means, and it didn't take long for them to find the yacht - and the MP cars surrounding it on the dock.

"What do we do?" B.A. whispered as they took cover behind a large crate.

Hannibal looked up as three figures appeared at the top of the gangplank. One of them appeared to be in handcuffs.

"Decker's got Face. That slime Dubrio must have called the MPs on him."

"It's better than gettin' killed," B.A. pointed out.

"True, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna let them lock Face away while we're running around free."

"You better have a plan, Hannibal. We ain't got much time."

"Oh, I've got a plan." Hannibal grinned, cigar between his teeth.

Face allowed himself to be led down the gangplank, toward the MP car. Decker made sure that Face made it all the way down, and put the prisoner in his own vehicle. Face looked up for a split second, and could have sworn he saw the glint of binoculars across the dock, near a couple of large crates.

_It has to be Hannibal._

Face shook his head ever so slightly, to indicate to the Colonel to stand down on this one, as he was put into the back of the MP car. Hopefully Hannibal had seen his signal through the binoculars, and wouldn't do anything stupid.

Decker climbed into the driver's seat, and a Lieutenant with a very large gun climbed into the passenger side.

"Don't think about trying anything, Peck. Lieutenant Brand will blow you away before you're out of the car."

Face nodded silently. Decker started the car with a throaty chuckle, and pulled away with the prisoner.

No one saw B.A.'s van pull out behind them and start following at a distance.

The drive was quiet for the first 5 miles. Finally, unnerved by the silence, Decker spoke up.

"What's the matter, Peck? No smart remarks?"

"Leave me alone, Decker."

"I didn't expect you to come quietly. It's almost like you wanted me to arrest you."

"I said shut the hell up! I don't want to talk to you or anyone else right now!"

"Have it your way, Lieutenant."

Decker took a right and headed toward the highway.

B.A. hung back far enough where Decker would not notice the van was there. His worry increased with every mile they followed and saw no attempt from Face to escape custody.

"Hannibal, he ain't gonna bust out of that car on his own."

"You're right, B.A. We're going to have to get him out of there."

"How we gonna get close? Decker knows what my van look like."

"However we do it, we'd better do it before Decker gets on the highway. It's too risky."

"Agreed."

"We're going to have to go in shooting."

"Hannibal, if they shoot _one_ hole in my van-"

"I won't let anything happen to your van."

"You on the jazz, man... I hate it when you on the jazz."

"Get close to that MP car," Hannibal said as he readied his weapon. "I'm going to shoot a tire out. When Decker runs off the road, you hold off the MPs while I get Face."

"This better work. I'm not going back to Bragg."

"It'll work. Trust me."

"Trustin' you always gets us in trouble."

Hannibal grinned and rolled down the window. He climbed up so his upper half was sticking out, and fired several rounds at Decker's car. He grinned when Decker tried to swerve, and kept firing. It didn't take him long to hit a tire, and Decker lost control and went off the road - and right into a tree.

"Pull over, B.A.!" Hannibal shouted as he climbed back into the car. B.A. pulled up next to the car, and they both jumped out and hurried over. Decker's passenger was unconscious, but breathing steadily. Decker himself was groaning in the front seat, semi-conscious, with a gash on his forehead.

Hannibal opened up the back door and saw Face sitting there dejectedly, conscious and uninjured.

"Come on."

Face shook Hannibal's grip on his arm.

"Leave me."

"Have you lost your mind? Decker is going to throw you in jail and toss away the key!"

"Let him."

Hannibal roughly grabbed Face's arm with both hands and practically dragged him from the car.

"I'm not gonna let you rot in jail. Now come on. We're getting out of here." He dragged Face toward the van, grip firm on his arm. "B.A.!"

B.A. ran to the van and jumped in as Hannibal opened the side door and shoved Face toward it.

"Get in the van."

Face complied, and climbed up into the van. He sank into the seat as Hannibal slammed the door shut, and climbed into the front seat and grabbed the van's mobile phone off the receiver to phone 911 for Decker. B.A. pealed out and went back the way they came.

**TBC...**


	6. Chapter 6

B.A. drove for about an hour, before pulling off in a secluded, cheap-looking motel. While Hannibal was in the office buying off the desk clerk, B.A. turned around to look at Face. His friend looked completely defeated and emotionally drained.

"What's wrong, Face?" he asked.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You know Hannibal's gonna make you talk anyway, after what we had to do to bust you loose from Decker."

"I'm fine."

"Right, and Murdock ain't no crazy fool. You not fine."

The passenger door opened, and Hannibal climbed in.

"Room 205, around back. The desk clerk never saw us."

B.A. nodded and drove around back, and parked the van. Hannibal turned around and got a look at his Lieutenant.

The kid looked terrible.

"Face, why don't you go inside and get some shut eye. B.A. and I can unload what we need from the van."

Face shook his head in response.

"It's not up for debate, Lieutenant. We've all had a long night." Hannibal tossed him the keys, and Face caught them expertly. "Go on. That's an order."

Face rolled his eyes and got out of the van. Without looking back, he walked ahead to the room and unlocked the door. The room was clean, and had two beds and a sorry-looking easy chair. Face dropped the keys on the small table next to the door, and just stood there.

He could hear Hannibal and B.A. outside, arguing over what to bring inside, and what to leave in the van. He knew his friends meant well, but in his heart he knew what he deserved, and it was to be in a jail cell, not a crappy motel.

The van door slammed, and Face knew his friends would be coming inside momentarily. He took the far bed and lay down on top of the covers, facing the wall. He hadn't realized how tired he actually was until he sank down onto the bed. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

"Face ain't all right, Hannibal," B.A. said quietly as he and Hannibal took duffel bags out of the back of the van.

"I told you what happened to him last night when I picked you up this morning. It's been a long night."

B.A. dropped a second duffel on the ground by his feet, and reached in for a bag of weapons, concealed to look like an extra large gym bag.

"He wanted Decker to lock him up, man. That ain't like him at all. Something else is wrong."

"Let him sleep for now. I'll talk to him later."

While B.A. locked up the van, Hannibal picked up some of the bags and headed ahead of him into the room. He was relieved to see that Face was asleep, and that there were two beds. He set the bags down and sat down at the small table by the window. From one of his bags, he took out a folder with a movie script tucked into it. He sat down at the table and started reading it over, as Face slept soundly on the bed behind him.

It was nearly evening when Face rolled over and sat up in bed. To his left, B.A. slept soundly in the other bed. Hannibal wasn't around. Face got up and slipped on his suit jacket. He needed some air.

As soon as the motel room door closed, Face took out a cigar and lit up. He walked around the back of the van as he took a drag. He leaned on the bumper as he blew his smoke, and closed his eyes. His last moments with Rhonda ran through his mind as if they were imprinted on the back of his eyelids. He saw her lying in the back of the Buick, covered in blood, her eyes frozen in fear.

He took another drag of his cigar, and inhaled deeply. He'd started smoking in 'Nam, and hadn't taken a liking to cigars until he'd met Hannibal.

_The Reverend Mother always said that smoking could kill you... maybe I should keep smoking, then._

Face ignored the footsteps coming up on his left, until the person was standing right next to him.

"You're awake."

"Yep." Face blew more smoke and looked down at his feet as he puffed on his cigar. He instinctively took a cigar from his coat and handed it to Hannibal, who lit up and leaned on the bumper next to him.

"You feeling any better?"

"Not really."

"Want to talk about it?"

Face shook his head slowly.

Hannibal took a contented puff of his cigar.

"I'm sorry about Rhonda."

Face's gaze darted upward, and met Hannibal's eyes.

"How did you know?"

"I just got off the phone with the hospital. I promised the head nurse I'd check in, so she wouldn't call the cops on us."

Face sighed heavily.

"She'd be alive right now, if it weren't for me."

"What happened to Rhonda isn't your fault," Hannibal said quickly.

"The hell it isn't!" Face shoved off the bumper and took a couple of steps away from Hannibal.

"Face-"

"She's dead because of me!" Face threw his spent cigar to the pavement.

"Stop-"

"Stop what? Blaming myself? You said yourself once that we're on the run, and women can't be number one in our lives. I should never have asked her out in the first place. She might still be alive if I'd just kept walking past that department store window. I-"

Face stopped talking and leaned on the van for support. He could feel pain rising in his chest, and he was fighting to keep it inside. He was a soldier, and he'd be damned if he'd show any kind of emotion.

Hannibal's hand on his shoulder threw all of that out the window.

"It's okay to grieve for her, Face. I know you cared about her a lot."

Face nodded as a couple of tears slipped down his cheeks. Hannibal squeezed his shoulder supportively.

"I'm going to go bring B.A. his coffee. I'll come back out in a few minutes, okay?"

Face nodded again. He waited until Hannibal was inside before letting the wall down, and he dropped his head and let the tears fall.

**TBC...**


End file.
